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quaranmeme2018-01-20 07:58 pm
riverview: january test drive meme
riverview test drive memeWelcome to Riverview's test drive meme! Feel free to dip your toes in on the test drive meme to try out your character in the setting, play out a mission, and get samples for your application at the same time!
● There are currently 2 Character Slots available.
● Reserves will open on February 15th. Applications will next be open between March 1st to March 7th.
● Providing all parties are amenable, threads on the test drive meme can count as game canon, as the plot in the prompts presented is game canon.
● TDM threads do not count for Activity Check, but they do count for Activity Bonus Points, so long as all characters involved are accepted into the game.
● Threading on the TDM is intended for prospective new characters, so top-levels should only be posted by players of these characters. Since the events in the TDM are considered game canon, characters currently in the game are free to use the TDM prompts for logs and posts on the regular communities.
Feel free to use the prompts below or create your own scenario. The setting is built to be flexible, so feel free to make things up as you go.
information resources
premise ● arrival ● setting ● ask a question ● calendar ● navigation
Starting around the 20th, residents of the city will start hearing some pretty disturbing rumors circulating - the rumors originate with some members of the Perimeter Guard who are returning from patrols, pale and a little panicked. They're reporting that a herd of terrifying beetle-like behemoth monsters lumbering toward the city - one female leader clocking in at 60 feet long and about 20 smaller male companions, each around 30 feet long. Unlike the Behemoth who showed up earlier in the year, these ones are nasty, sporting horns and big enough to knock over trees and displace even the bigger monsters in the usual crowd, and they've already breached through the wall of the Abandoned City and are heading toward the city itself. A herd like this could cause some serious damage, maybe even enough to compromise the wall of the Inhabited City. Thankfully, the Perimeter Guard has a nice big ace up their sleeves in the form of a small fleet of mechs, but the problem is that the mech are still in beta-testing, prone to breaking down, and there aren't enough to go around. This means that there's going to have to be some serious support on the ground.
The attack on the behemoth beetles is two-fold. The first order of business is to send out anyone with big powers or big guns to wear them down, beating on them the old-fashioned way, with brute force. The second is to circle around behind and, while the monsters are distracted, try to herd them away from the city using bright flares, fireworks left over from the Festival of Light, and even more big guns. Volunteers to do the shooting and supplying the brave souls going out into the jungle are welcome!
What do you use to fight a giant monster? A giant mech. And thankfully the Perimeter Guard has been working on something just like that - a new fleet of 20 three-story-tall mech suits meant to be manned by two people. With the behemoth herd approaching, the Guard is calling for anyone with piloting experience, or even people willing to take a quick course in it, to help man the fleet and head out into the fray, stomping through the brush and fighting the behemoths either in the Abandoned City or the jungle outside it. The goal is to take them out, take them down, or at least help the ground teams herd them away from the city and discourage them from returning.
Mechs are piloted by two people working together - while it's not exactly drift compatibility, the two characters need to act together, with one directing where the mech goes and keeping an eye on the terrain, and the other one manning the guns and keeping an eye on the mech's defenses and energy and ammunition levels. This takes a lot of concentration and cooperation, and this day is bound to forge a lot of new friendships....and probably a few mortal enemies. On top of the difficulty of working with someone who may be a total stranger, don't forget the mechs are in beta-testing and are only being used as a last resort, which means they have a bad tendency to break down in unexpected ways.
Each mech is fitted with two large canon-style guns that can be semi-automatic or automatic with a limited amount of ammunition, one plasma sword, and a force shield that can take four serious hits before it is depleted. They have a finite amount of energy storage and are able to be in continuous use for 3 hours maximum before shutting down. Out of the fleet of 20 mechs, the mod only expects about 5 to still be functional at the end of the battle, so feel free to have characters destroy them in threads. If any player (once accepted to the game) is interested in having their character take over the mechs as a project going forward, feel free to PM the mod account and we can talk it out!
Once the city is safe enough that it isn't in poor taste to advertise fun outings, residents will start seeing ads for a new attraction in the city - the Crystal Caves. Presented as an excellent date spot, the caves are beautiful natural formations only recently discovered just a short walk outside the city. With the path cleared and patrolled by hired security to ensure that the trip there is safe, happy couples (or singles, but why go alone when you can bring a special friend or two?) can walk through the caves.
Inside, characters will enjoy a short walk along a twisty cave path where the walls appear to be made of semi-opaque crystal that shimmers with different colors, looking almost a little like the Northern Lights. After this path, the caves open into a series of beautiful caverns that seem to be made of pure crystal, with jagged crystalline formations in wide varieties of colors, some of which look almost like they've been slowly melting for decades, molten and shimmering. Visitors can find booths offering rock candy crystals on sticks and other treats, souvenirs, and for those without as much exploratory spirit or patience, guided tours that point out some of the more beautiful formations. There are also a few smaller caverns that have been converted into overnight camps where groups can stay the night and enjoy a catered group breakfast in the morning!
If there's one trait that entrepreneurs in Riverview Quarantine all seem to have in common, it's jumping the gun and opening attractions or releasing new products before taking the time to conduct enough tests. The Crystal Caves are no different, unfortunately, though in this case the effects are a little less distressing. Residents who traveled to the caves will find themselves tossing and turning at night anywhere from a few days later to a week later, depending on their mental fortitude, and slipping into incredibly strange dreams. Varying from wild flights of exhilarating fancy to personalized nightmares depending on the personality of the dreamer, the dreams are incredibly vivid and realistic, with everything feeling, smelling, sounding, tasting, and looking completely real.
The strangest part of the dreams, though, is that anyone who'd looked at the same particular crystal as another person and seen their reflections in it will experience the dream with that person as an equal participant, able to share the same dream-granted abilities and experiences, able to work together as a team or hinder progress. Whether that person was a partner, a friend, an enemy, or even just a stranger observing the same formation at the same time, if their reflections appeared on a crystal together, they will find themselves sharing each other's dreams off and on for about a week. Some dreamers might even find that just thinking about a particular person they know as they fall asleep can pull that person into their dream, even if they weren't in the caves together.
This effect can be shared between just two people or larger groups, and the dreams themselves can belong to any character affected or be a combination of all of their dreams. The dreams themselves tend toward the positive more than the negative and the fanciful more than the realistic, but where they fall on that spectrum depends largely on character temperament and personality. Characters affected simply have to have looked at the same crystal in the caves, even if it was on a different day or at a different time, or for characters who would not have gone to the caves, be thought of by a person who has while they fall asleep.
Whether your character is posting up a silly word game, trying to get hold of a friend, or putting out feelers for people to go out into the fray with, the network is going strong.
Alternately, an offer for a free app is popping up on new arrivals' devices - Friendr is a friend-finder and/or dating app. If characters choose to install it, they will fill out a short bio and parameters for what they're looking for, upload a snap of themselves, and then proceed to browse for matches. This is a typical swipe-left-or-right type app.
Friendr base code is by photosynthesis.
The code in the textbox is for the default color scheme, but the Friendr app has a wide variety of themes, so feel free to customize with colors and patterns as you see fit, but do not remove the credit line out of respect for the creator of the code.
Use the wildcard prompt to choose your own adventure and do whatever else you like in the setting!
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[They might have been able to talk the Raven Queen out of punishing them for transgressions that didn't happen in her reality, but they can't change what they are, and what they are is a fucking abomination. It's a compromise that makes sense to Taako.]
I've got up to defeating the Hunger? And I mean that puh-retty literally. Like, Lucretia did her bubble, we died-but-actually-didn't and then we got back to you thugs and the Hunger was gone, that's it.
[He doesn't know anything past that.]
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[ Family ties. Gotta love 'em.
Now. For the rest of it... ]
Do you want any spoilers? Not a whole lot to tell, really. Though uh. I think you're gonna fucking love it.
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[He needs time to process, the idea of Barry Bluejeans in some bastardized cloak + jeans outfit, next to Kravitz in all his three piece glory. It's a lot.]
Hit me with it, bubbale, I wanna know how it all shakes out.
[They haven't been particularly fussy about spoilers, aside from... Julia. Taako came to a quiet, personal decision not to mention that to Magnus, not to fill him with dread for something he couldn't change.]
i can't remember the exact order of epilogue shit i need to canon review....
You're fucking famous on two planes. Yours and Joaquin's.
[ Next point: ]
Me and Lup are reapers, working with Kravitz. It's a pretty sweet gig, considering. The Raven Queen is Lup's biggest fan.
[ What else... ]
Killian and Carey just got married so that's pretty rad.
they actually all died surprise
[Being famous in one plane is pretty great, being famous in two is dope as hell and he's more than happy to hear that, even if he knows that Junior's whole broadcasting-their-lives thing means that people know a few more details than he'd like them to, considering what was in Lucretia's journals.
Still: it's awesome.]
Oh, shit, did we do the catering? I gotta assume we catered, Carey wouldn't do me like that. [It's a rhetorical question, he knows in his heart that he did the catering.
There's something more important he wants to ask, despite it being slightly awkward] Is, uh, hey, what's the deal with me and Kravtiz? Any updates there?
[It's a complicated situation, for Taako, but he wants to know.]
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[ Duh. Just... fucking duh. Was that even a real question? He couldn't tell.
The next question kind of surprises him. But he guesses that makes sense given Taako's point in time. He smiles wide, happy to know that future Taako will be happy. ]
He's stupid in love with you and you eat up every fuckin' second of it if that's what you mean.
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Cool. [And that's all he's got to say on it, apparently.] You want a top up on that coffee? Or uh, there's wine? We've got a lot of wine.
[He needs to do something with hands and he needs an excuse to not look at Barry for a moment.]
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So uh. What's up?
[ Because he's falling for exactly none of your bullshit right now? ]
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I was seeing someone here, it's - you know, it's whatever. Doesn't matter.
[It's complicated is what it is.]
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Woah. Man. His heart breaks a little. It's just so hard to think of that from his perspective. He just saw Krav and Taako at the wedding being gross and adorable. But. Taako's been here a year. Without any way to contact anyone or knowing how long he's gonna be here. He gets it. And he tries to hide the roller coaster of a reaction beyond a blip. ]
Can't leave me hangin' like that, bud.
no subject
It's fucking weird, okay? I know-- like, I know that shit with Kravitz is gonna go down however it goes down, I've seen it, but it doesn't feel like it was me.
[Because it was him without his time here and that changes things. It had been like watching another Taako go through the motions.]
And Rin was... [The closest he's ever got to feeling like he actually, genuinely could love someone?] Rin had to leave. He had important shit to do.
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[ What do you even say to that? Well, he can guess the words unsaid. This is Taako, after all.
Barry just shrugs. ]
You just-- You really don't know how things are gonna play out, Taako.
[ What the fuck do you say to this... ]
None of us do.
[ He pauses. Finally gave up and reached for his wine to down some of it. ]
You wanna tell me about this Rin guy? Did Lup meet him? Because I have to assume if she did he got her seal of approval or he'd be fuckin' crispy.
no subject
Lup liked him, I mean, she liked teasing him so I guess that's kinda her way of showing it. Lucretia was not a fan, couldn't figure him out, you know how she is with shit she can't control.
[Things this isn't: actually talking about Rin, but that's still a little too hard. It's only been a couple of weeks.]
no subject
[ He nods, one eyebrow raised in a 'yep that definitely sounds like those two' kind of way. Bless Lucretia, she was a hot mess of a person. ]
How long?
[ Were you together, when did he leave, just all of it. Any possible way that question could be asked. ]
no subject
We'd been going on dates since like, halfway through last year? Made it kinda official five months ago and then, uh he left a couple weeks ago?
[It's one of the longer relationships he's been in, considering he usually doesn't bother with them in the first place.]
no subject
[ Time really does mean nothing if the feelings are there. And they clearly were for how little Taako was sharing. There's his pride, sure, but this... Barry can kind of tell there's more to it. He reaches and hand over and gives him a nice manly pat. ]
Y'know we're here for you, right?
no subject
[They both had sisters they loved more than anything else in the world; Taako understands why Rin had to leave, the same as Rin would've understood if Taako left first. It still hurts, but he doesn't want to admit that.]
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[ But he's not going to press it any more than that. He knows better and he knows Taako. ]
You ever need a drinking buddy who has the least judgement or teasing in the world and I'm your guy.
[ Read: I'm here when you're ready to talk. ]
Though you're probably gonna go to Lup first, I guess.
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You think afternoon wine is bad, pumpkin, you're in for a hell of a ride. This place is mostly cool, but it'll fuck with ya when it wants to.
[Just not touching the offer of someone to talk to, Taako already knows it's there without being said. Maybe he'll take Barry up on it someday, maybe he won't, but it's... nice to have the option, at least.]
no subject
Like what.
[ Look, a subject change just for you, handsome twin. ]
no subject
[It's a change of subject, alright and one that Taako is more than happy to rant about. Overall he does think this place is pretty good, but the downsides sure are downsides.]
There were ghosts, like - shit from our worlds come specifically to haunt our asses, not just whatever ghosts, that fucking sucked. I got turned into a kid for a bit, that was kinda on us cause the chalice got stuck in the portal, it's fixed now, don't flip. Uh, people saw into each other's memories? Super messed up and now that's kinda happening again but with feelings?
[Finn turned up with a metaphorical boombox because Taako was sad, it was awful.]
Some new plant that came through the portal made people forget shit. These fireflies turned up and fucked with your feelings... oh, an idiot at Gramayre keeps creating like magic bubbles that trap you until you kiss the person you're trapped with. [He trails off, waves a hand.] Just a bunch of fucked up shit.
no subject
The fuck is the Gramayre?
[ And how on earth do you manage to fuck up a spell like that? Or, well-- ]
Did they do that on purpose like a fucked up combination of Valentine's and April Fools?
[ If it was on purpose, he kinda had to give them props for the genius on that. He's getting distracted. ]
What do we know about the people in charge here and their advanced as fuck portal usage across planes?
[ How was this place still living so severely cut off to where he, a reaper, couldn't go back home ].
no subject
[Of people he's going to kill. Well, Dodger is the top of that list but kiss bubble lady can be second.
As for the people here:]
They're kinda dipshits but they're not shady. Far as I got figured out the portal used to be alive, they used it to make more, got fucked up by other realities and came back home with their tails between their legs. All the other portals are gone but they can't turn off this one and can't destroy it, best they've got is trying to point it in the right direction. They managed it for Rin, all we gotta do is wait.
i accidentally... deleted this from my inbox..... imsorry
[ Barry starts to rub his chin with a crooked finger. The gears are clearly turning. Barry 'Nerd Alert' Bluejeans now had it in his head that he was going to be able to solve this problem. Because, well, couldn't be any worse than anything else we've faced. ]
I wonder what kind of progress Lucreatia's been making with them. With what we know with going between the portals... [ He lets out a breath as a sigh. ] Wish I had my scythe still.
omg how could u.............
[Taako is by no means the science guy, but he's curious and he likes figuring shit out, as much as he feigns disinterest most of the time. Barry is someone he can talk about this shit with, he doesn't need to worry about getting called out for paying attention.]
i am The Worst™
its true
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